January 20, 2016

Strawberry Banana Muffins

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Well, those holiday pounds snuck up on me pretty quickly. How about you?

I've been working to get them off by being part of a fun, 60-day healthy living challenge. I did this last January, lost ten pounds, and felt great!

By far, the hardest thing for me to give up in this challenge is my rolls and muffins. So I set out to create a recipe that I can eat, and that would be perfect for anyone trying to make good food choices.

These Strawberry Banana Muffins have substance and flavor, making it a perfect choice for breakfast or a midday snack! While not overly sweet, it will satisfy those cravings that are hard to overcome.

Note- these are not a low-calorie choice. Rather, they use better-for-you ingredients and are a better choice than a typical sweet muffin.

To make these you will need the following ingredients (printable recipe at the bottom of the post)

2 cups Whole Wheat Flour (I like white whole wheat)

3/4 cup Silk Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

1/2 cup Brown Sugar

1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon

1 tsp Baking Powder

2 ripe bananas, mashed

2 eggs, beaten

2 oz butter or canola oil

6 sliced strawberries

I love using Silk Almond Milk in these and other muffins- mainly because it's an easy way to make something dairy-free. Plus, it is lactose-free, has no cholesterol and no saturated fat, and has 50% more calcium than dairy milk. I was a little scared to try it the first time, but it's not nutty at all! It has a smooth texture and delicious flavor, which makes it a perfect substitute in pretty much any recipe!

If you want to try some Silk products for yourself before buying, there are some Silk Almond Half Gallon and Yogurt with Produce Demos happening at Walmart from 1/21-1/24 (this week!). So stop by one of these stores and give it a try!

I actually bought my Silk Almond Milk as well as some Silk Dairy-Free Yogurt to try from the dairy case at Walmart.

When you get your ingredients together, start by mashing your banana in a bowl, then adding the brown sugar, almond milk, eggs, and oil or softened butter. Mix together until smooth.

Then, add your dry ingredients: flour, cinnamon, and baking powder. Mix together until combined, but don't overmix or your muffins will be tough!

Line a muffin tin with paper liners, then spoon your batter into the cups. They should be about 2/3 full. Top with slices of strawberries- or you can even push them into the batter to cook inside the muffin.

Let bake for about 15-18 minutes at 375 degrees, then let them cool on a baking rack.

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In addition to these muffins, I like to occasionally have the Silk Dairy-Free Yogurt for a nutritious snack. Again, it is an excellent source of calcium and Vitamin D, which are things I need with my rheumatoid arthritis. And I was really surprised by how good it is! I expected non-dairy yogurt to have a funny taste or be dry- but it is smooth, creamy, and flavorful!

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a muffin tin with paper muffin cases. Combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon and baking powder in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the banana, butter, milk and eggs together until smooth. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and mix together until completely smooth. If batter is too thick, add more almond milk and stir. Spoon into the muffin cases and top with slices of strawberries. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Let the muffins cool on a cooling rack then store in an airtight container.

If you like recipes like this one, make sure you check out tons more recipes that Swap Milk for Silk here!